Bob Arum made the trek to Saudi Arabia because – like everyone else – he’s fascinated to see what will transpire in Saturday’s rematch between his former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and the unbeaten three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“He’s in great mental shape,” Arum told BoxingScene, “but let’s be honest about it, he’s not a spring chicken anymore.”
At 36, Fury has been through 242 rounds of professional boxing action, including an astounding six knockdowns in his past nine fights.
Those range from the most severe – that 12th-round belting by Deontay Wilder that knocked Fury briefly unconscious – to the most damning – the ninth-round barrage and dropping that cost Fury the first Usyk fight by split decision on May 18.
Before that – and even after it, if you can recall the video scene of Fury tumbling over himself outside a bar in the days after the Usyk loss – there was the hard living that Fury engaged in, causing a three-year absence following his 2015 upset victory over long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko.
